No. 16 Tigers Finish With 196.250 in Loss to No. 6 Kentucky

Jan. 26, 2018

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AUBURN, Ala. -- The No. 16 Auburn gymnastics team put together a 196.250 in Auburn Arena Friday night, falling to No. 6 Kentucky's 196.700. The Tigers move to 2-4 on the season with a 1-3 record in the Southeastern Conference.

"I think it's obvious that we went through a lot of adversity out there," head coach Jeff Graba said. "I think it's amazing that we can walk away from this frustrated by our performance, but still have a 196.25. It just says that we need to get our act together. If we do, we're one of the better teams in the country."

The second rotation had the Tigers reach a season-best on bars, scoring a 49.350 as a team. Junior Samantha Cerio picked up her fourth-straight event title as she tied a season high with a 9.9. Redshirt junior Abby Milliet followed with a season-best 9.875, while freshman Drew Watson set a career best with another 9.875. Junior Taylor Krippner, competing in the event for the first time this season, put together a 9.85 with sophomore Gracie Day also adding a 9.85.

Auburn kicked off the meet on vault and came away with a 49.050. Day and freshman Jada Glenn each earned a 9.85, while junior A'Miracal Phillips reached a season-best 9.8. Sophomore Katie Becker and Krippner added a 9.775 apiece to the team score.

Rotation three moved the youthful Tigers to beam where a pair of freshmen highlighted the event. Allie Riddle led off with a career-best 9.85 and classmate Meredith Sylvia added another 9.85 in the third slot. Milliet took home even title with a season high 9.9 and redshirt sophomore Emma Slappey added a 9.675 to the overall score.

The final rotation saw some last minute changes to the lineup for Auburn as a pair of freshmen in Ashley Smith and Watson were plugged into the event. Smith led off with a career-best 9.85, while Milliet anchored with another 9.9 for another title. That score set a career high for the Denton, Texas, product. Cerio added a 9.875 and Becker chipped in a 9.75. Watson's 9.4 contributed to the team total.

Auburn remains on the Plains, hosting No. 5 Florida in a SEC meet next Friday, Feb. 2. The Tigers take on the Gators at 6 p.m. CT in Auburn Arena and the contest will be televised on SEC Network.

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